Daily stories from Middletown's 366-Year History

1931: Detroiters Set Outboard Marks

Jack Wood and Aleck Neal Break Records in East

Middletown, Conn., Sept. 14–(AP)–Ollie Mullenbach, of Ravinia, Ill, today raced his outboard motorboat in Class A at 32.291 miles per hour over a nautical mile in the Eastern Divisional Outboard Motorboat Championships on the Connecticut River here to break the European record of 28.8. Three other European records also were bettered.

Harry Roberts, of Hartford, broke the Class B European record of 36.2 by racing his boat at 36.886 miles per hour over the course, while Jack Woods, of Detroit, bettered the Class C European record of 41.8 by driving his outboard craft at 42.823.

The Class D European record of 41.5 was shattered by Dick Neal, of Detroit, at a speed of 42.859.